Medicinal products incorporating bound organosulfur groups

Abstract

Nutraceutical and dietary supplement formulations for delivering bioavailable thiols to a host, comprising certain organosulfur radicals, such as the allyl mercapto radical, bound to larger molecules such as proteins, resulting in the formation in the host's body of various allium -related compounds such as allicin. The formulations are produced by treating an ingestible material comprising a cysteine-containing protein with a thiol, disulfide, mixed disulfide, thiosufinate or mixed thiosulfinate so as to cause thiol residues to become disulfide bonded to cysteines contained in the protein.

1. A method of providing a recycling extracellular antioxidant whose locality includes both the intracellular and extracellular environments to a mammalian animal in need thereof, said method comprising:
 administering to said mammalian animal a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising molecules selected from the group consisting of mercaptans, mixed disulfides formed from mercaptans disulfide bonded to proteins, or a mixture thereof, wherein within said mammalian animal, said composition: 
 (a) metabolizes via digestion or thiol-disulfide exchange reactions to form membrane permeable mercaptans that are organic molecules each comprising a sulfur atom and up to 5 carbon atoms in a linear or branched configuration and having a molecular weight of 350 Daltons or less;
 wherein said membrane permeable mercaptans are permeable to cells of said mammalian animal; 
 wherein said membrane permeable mercaptans comprise said extracellular antioxidant within said mammalian animal, becoming concurrently oxidized to form disulfides or mixed disulfides; 
 
 (b) wherein said disulfides or mixed disulfides form membrane permeable disulfides or mixed disulfides that enter cells of said mammalian animal;
 wherein said membrane permeable disulfides or mixed disulfides are reduced within the cell to produce said membrane permeable mercaptans of (a); 
 
 
       thereby providing a recycling extracellular antioxidant whose locality includes both the intracellular and extracellular environments within said mammalian animal. 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  where said recycling extracellular antioxidant increases the ratio of the extracellular thiol concentration to the sum of the extracellular disulfide and mixed disulfide concentrations,
 whereby a more reduced extracellular redox status is produced within said mammalian animal. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2  where said mammalian animal is a human of age 40 or older and where said more reduced extracellular redox status is equal to or greater than the extracellular redox status of said human was at age 35. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  where said composition comprises:
 mercapto groups substantially bound to protein molecules that contain cysteine residues; 
 where the substantial binding of said mercapto groups to said protein molecules comprises mixed disulfide bonds formed between said mercapto groups and said cysteine residues of said protein molecules. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  where said disulfides or mixed disulfides become further oxidized by reactive oxygen species emitted from immune system cells to form thiosulfinates or mixed thiosulfinates. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5  where said thiosulfinates or mixed thiosulfinates are antimicrobial. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 5  where said thiosulfinates or mixed thiosulfinates inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 4  where the method of administration is oral administration and said composition is substantially free of thiosulfinates and remains substantially free of thiosulfinate formation during digestion. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1  where said membrane permeable mercaptans comprise mercapto radicals that are found in human foods. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9  where said membrane permeable mercaptans are allyl mercaptan, methyl mercaptan, propyl mercaptan, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 2  where said mammalian animal is a human of age 50 or older and where the increase in the ratio of the extracellular thiol concentration to the sum of the extracellular disulfide and mixed disulfide concentrations produces a softening of the lenses of the eyes such that the ability to focus the eyes at a distance of 12 inches becomes equal to or greater than said ability to focus the eyes at said distance when said human was at age 40. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 2  where said mammalian animal is a human of age 50 or older and where the increase in the ratio of the extracellular thiol concentration to the sum of the extracellular disulfide and mixed disulfide concentrations produces a reduction in body weight such that the resulting body weight is less than or equal to the body weight of said human when said human was at age 40.